Middlebrooks, Ross feeling better

David Ross walked into the Red Sox clubhouse on Wednesday afternoon without a limp. That was the first good sign for the Red Sox. The second was that Will Middlebrooks swung at a few balls on a tee.

Ross and Middlebrooks collided in the fifth inning on Tuesday night while chasing a foul ball and came away injured. Middlebrooks bruised the right side of his rib cage and Ross his left quadriceps, right above his kneecap.

Both left the game and were out of the lineup on Wednesday.

“We’ll take it day-to-day, but I feel like I could back up [Jarrod Saltalamacchia] today,” said Ross, who on Tuesday was having trouble squatting. “Moving in the right direction.”

Ross was treated with ice throughout the night and woke up feeling better than he expected.